


Kings, Queens, and Vagabounds

by Feathered_Nightmare



Series: The "Hero" Family [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Bisexual Dovahkiin | Dragonborn, Enemies to Lovers, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Half-Elves, Half-Siblings, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Idiots in Love, Miraak Lives (Elder Scrolls), Multi, Mutual Pining, My First Fanfic, Nonbinary Character, Original Character(s), Polyamorous Character, Reluctant Dovahkiin | Dragonborn, Serana is the mom friend, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, bare with me, dragonborn is a little shit, hermaeus mora is a dick, i dont know how to write romance, might be a little ooc, no drafts we die like men, not a slow burn but it will take a while, sassy dragons and dragonborns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:48:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24990058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feathered_Nightmare/pseuds/Feathered_Nightmare
Summary: Kendra was a fish out of water, going from a present child to well, the savior of the world two times over. But she may have to do it again, Miraak, the first dragonborn, is apparently trying to take over the world. But that cannot do, Kendra will not let anyone take over the world she's grown to love. However, the last dragonborn knows there is more to the story, and she will stop at nothing to find it.
Relationships: Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Miraak, Miraak (Elder Scrolls)/Original Character(s)
Series: The "Hero" Family [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1882753
Kudos: 6





	1. A failed assasination atempt

Kendra took a step back, hand loosening on her ebony sword. Two bodies laid in front of her, “And what was the deal with that?” She turned around to see her friend, redguard with a half-shaved head, they were wearing a green woven headband they only really wore for special occasions, they had a twinkle of excitement in their eyes, “Ok, Lemon, were in oblivion where you?” Lemon flashed a smile, “Watching you take way too long to kill these failed assassins” Lemon walked towards the cultists, examining the bodies. “First of all, they aren't assassins-”, the redguard looked up and started speaking, “Kill the False Dragonborn known as Kendra before she reaches Solstheim, Return with word of your success, and Miraak shall be most pleased” Lemon read word-for-word, Kendra assumed. They looked up, somehow having a blank face with amusement in their yellow eyes, “assassins.”  
Kendra scratched her chin before the pair attacked her they had said something about a ‘Miraak’ fellow, maybe they are also Dragonborn? That would make sense, with that thought she swore she could feel her heart about to jump out of her chest, she could practically hear it yelling “Another Dragonborn! Another Dragonborn!”. She must have been spaced outed, she guessed when her friend’s hand slapped her upper back.  
“I'll get packing for Solstheim then?” Kendra smiled at her friend's enthusiasm, they would probably follow her to the ends of the world, and she would do the same. “I'm sure Aela and Serana would love to come with.” Her voice was soft on the breeze, but that didn't stop Lemon from tensing up and blushing madly. “I-I’m sure they will” Kendra smiled, the mention of their girlfriends never failed to send them into a blushing mess. 

\--------Time skip brought to you by Odahviing’s beautiful scales-------

Kendra has walked the 7000 step multiple times, but that did not make it at all easier for her to do it. By the time she got to the top she just wanted to just faceplant into the snow. Her gaze fell onto a familiar elderly dragon and a brightly colored red dragon. Both of which turned their heads when they noticed the Dragonborn's arrival.   
Kendra walked over to the word wall and laid her back against it. “Drem yol lok, greetings dovahkiin, does something trouble you?” Kendra smiled at the hint of concern in the elder's voice. Kendra pulled out the cultist’s orders, rereading over again. “Do you know anyone named Miraak? That sounds like a dovahzul name”, she looked up at her companions. Odahviing was the first to speak up, “What? The traitor! How do you know of his name?” His tail thrashed angrily, his sudden outburst both scared and excited the Dragonborn. If this ‘Miraak’ is able to bring out a reaction like this? This was going to be fun...and scary. “Cultists tried to kill me in his name because I am the “false Dragonborn”” She used quotations at the last bit.   
“Miraak was a sanook, a dovah priest when he discovered he was dovahkiin, he rebelled.” Paarthurnax stopped for a moment, Kendra guessed to pick his next words wisely. “If he is still nahlaas, he may be as big as a threat as Alduin '' That caught Kendra’s attention. “If you do go after him, be careful” Odahviing seemed to have calmed down or at least is hiding his anger better. “I’ll take you to Solstheim, if Miraak is alive, he must be stopped”. Kendra did not have a problem with this, this Miraak from what Paarthurnax told her, doesn't sound like the nicest of people, granted she wasn't either, being a part of The DarkBrotherhood doesn't land you on the “hero” list. But people didn't need to know that.

She climbed on top of Odahviing’s neck, petting his scales to show her appreciation, Lemon would probably assume she already went to Solstheim. There was one thing she didn't understand...how come she is only hearing about him now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dovahzul translations:
> 
> Drem Yol Lok: peace fire sky, used as a greeting
> 
> Sanook: dragon priest
> 
> Nahlaas: alive
> 
> This was short mainly so I can get this out of my drafts, the next chapters will be longer


	2. Bedtime kisses and Ashspawn

Lemon walked over to the northern maiden, they could hear the idle chatter of the crewmen on other ships. “If you're looking for a passage to Solstheim, you’re out of luck, I am not going back there” Lemon fought the urge to take a step back at the outburst. “And why not?” They turned their attention to the female hooded vampire, who seemed just as annoyed at the captain.   
“Me and my friend were attacked by some cultists who came here on your ship” Lemon lied, no, they didn’t get attacked, nor was Kendra here right now. But they needed to sound as stern as possible, saying “my friend was attacked by cultists that came from this ship, but she isn't here right now because she is already there” Lemon thought annoyed, Kendra did give her a heads up that Odahviing might take her to Solstheim but it still irked her.  
“Now hold on! That wasn’t my fault! I didn't know they were going to attack anybody. I don't even know how I got here” Their other companion seemed to be getting annoyed too, “How do you not know how you got here? You sailed here, right?” The female werewolf asked Lemon felt a pang of pity for the poor captain, being yelled at by Aela was scary. “It’s hard to explain… I remember those people with the masks coming on board, then… The next thing I remember, I was here and they were gone. That’s not right, losing whole days like that. There’s been something strange happening on Solstheim for a while, but after this… Im done. I'm not going back to Solstheim”  
Lemon thought over the man’s words, it was odd or “not natural” but then again, what is? Having faced dragons, vampires, and even some werewolves, they were well versed in the unnatural. “Yes, you are. You’re taking us to Solstheim” Lemon said with a slight smile. “Have you been listening to me? I'm not going back there” They heard Serana and Aela whispering and if Lemon tried harder they could probably hear what exactly they were saying. “Listen, people are trying to kill me and my friends” another lie, no one wanted them dead, at least from what she knows “I am not taking no for an answer”. Lemon heard Aela huff behind them, normally Aela would be the one to intimidate, considering she is the scariest without really trying.   
Apparently having 3 annoyed dangerous looking warriors was enough to persuade the captain, “Hold on, now. I’m just a simple sailor. I never wanted to get mixed up in any of this. Alright, I’ll take you. But we leave immediately” they heard Serana mutter a quiet “good riddance” under her breath. Lemon didn't have to turn around to tell that Aela had a wide smile, she walked forward and handed the captain a coin purse, “I hope this is enough to cover the trip” the red-headed werewolf said slyly.

\----Time skip brought to you by Gjalund Salt-Sage is a dremora-------

Lemon watched the waves turn, they were about a day away from Solstheim. Serana was reading a book on the other side of the ship, Aela was sleeping a few feet away from her. If Lemon was being honest with themselves they were feeling a bit tired too. But they made sure to not sleep until they could at least see the ashen island. “You know, if you were being smart you would be sleeping like Aela” They turned their head to Serana, who had set her book down. Their confusion must have shown on their face because she let out a slight chuckle. “We dont know whats on Solstheim, or what Miraak is capable of, it would be wise to sleep well before facing him”   
That made sense, yeah, but… yeah, they had no real reason to not sleep. Lemon let out a small sigh of defeat, “Your right” they mumbled out. Serana walked over to them, the look on her face asking a silent question, to which Lemon nodded to. Serana then effortlessly lifted the tired warrior up into a bridal position, Lemon put a hand on their forehead, “My savior, how many times must you save me?” They weakly joked, already half asleep. The last time Serana had to come to the rescue, they and Aela had gotten themselves stuck in a cave. “As many times as I need to,” Serana lightly kissed Lemon’s forehead, as their hand had returned to their side. Lemon would have blushed deeply if they hadn't already been asleep.

\--------------------

Kendra was already getting tired of ashspawn, they had no business scaring her like that. After about the 5th jumpscare she had become extremely jumpy. Which she knew as soon as Lemon saw her like this, she would never hear the end of it.  
Odahviing had insisted on staying on the island, it was comforting to know at least Odahviing wouldn't leave her alone on this shitty island, although Durnehviir probably wouldn't mind being summoned, Kendra decided against it. It looked too much like the Soul Cairn, at least it doesn't smell the same, the dragonborn could at least be thankful for that.  
Paarthurnax was correct, she could feel the other Dragonborn's presence, it got stronger the further she got into the island it was extremely tempting to just follow it, but she knew she needed backup. As much as she hated to admit it. She felt drawn to it, it felt… Safe? Which was off considering he was trying to kill her. Miraak's presence was tainted somehow, Kendra didn't know how she knew but it just didn't feel right. It didn't help that whenever she got further away an aching emptiness stabbed her heart, the dragonborn could live without that.  
She must have been walking, as she found herself back at Ravenrock. Kendra didn't hate the people that lived here, but she didn't like them either. They constantly reminded her that she was an outsider, which was true. But they didn't need to tell her that around every corner.  
Kendra had asked around about Miraak and she got the same response of "I don't know...i know that name but…" it was honestly annoying. But it meant Miraak hadn't done anything big yet, so that was good. Kendra looked around, a guard walked by her, their bonemeal armor clinking as they walked. She wasn't a big fan of the design, but it was armor.

The Dragonborn thought to when she first arrived to Solstheim, she saved the guard captain from some ashspawn. That then led to a quest to kill a bunch of ashspawn and the mage that was summoning them. But that didn't stop them from showing up apparently. The ash hoppers were no better, Kendra had decided that if it had ash in the name it was an enemy to her and all of Tamriel.  
Her thoughts were disrupted by the sound of chained armor rushing towards her before she could react she was being lifted into a hug. Kendra didn't need to look to know that it was Lemon, they always were able to pick her up effortlessly, whilst crushing her lungs. “One day..” Kendra took a deep breath, yeah she wasn't going to die but it wasn't comfortable, “you're going to get yourself killed like this” at that Lemon put her down to catch her breath. “You wouldn't have the balls to kill me” the warrior announced with the confidence of someone who has faced Akatosh and wasn't impressed, “bet”. Was all Kendra could get out before Aela and Serana showed up.  
“I told you sleeping would be beneficial,” the vampire said with a smile, which made Kendra laugh, Lemon doesn't like sleeping unless they know it's 100% safe. “How was sailing,” the Dragonborn said, not because she wanted to know, but she really didn't know how to spell out everything she had learned. “Forget the ship, did you learn anything useful?” Lemon said, they were probably the only one who could read Kendra like an open book, which can be both useful and scary.  
“Well if I tell you everything we would probably need to go somewhere more private” That caught Lemon’s attention, they had always been one to know all about drama. Kendra could list multiple times when she had to go to them for info on a person or their family. Which she needed to do more than she would like to admit.  
“Well, I wouldn't trust any inn’s around here, the wilderness would be better” Kendra had to agree with Aela’s statement, talking about Paarthurnax and Miraak in a public place would cause panic at least. “I think I know a place, but if you see any ash start to move, either prepare for battle or run,” Kendra said, which left her friends confused. The young Dragonborn sighed “You'll see soon enough” which only seemed to confuse and concern them more.


	3. The First Meeting

“So you're telling me, Mir-ack is not only the first dragonborn but also was a dragon priest?!” Lemon said, making wide gestures as they spoke, Kendra audibly laughed at the way they pronounced Miraak’s name. She elected to ignore how her stomach drops every time she thought about the other dragonborn. “I'm pretty sure that's what she said” Aela spoke up, for about the first time this night, Kendra almost forgot she was there besides a few huffs and grunts. Serana was more vocal, voicing her complaints when she had them, which she only had one which was unusual for the vampire.

"Right right, so what's our next game plan?" Serana waved Lemon off before they started talking again. To which Lemon didn't know how to react too. Kendra thought for a moment, “I think Miraak is at the center of the island” She withheld the information on how she knew, mostly because she didn't know how to explain it. “So do we just go in, kill the dude and walk out?” Lemon said, which made Kendra pause, why did she have such a problem with that statement? 

“I doubt Miraak will be that easy to defeat” Kendra stated, which was true. At this Aela smiled, “Your lucky I remembered to bring you armor, Lemon was in such a rush to collect their things that they didn't even think of the possibility that you would just rush off into battle….again” Aela stated whilst handing a bag to Kendra, full of her armor and better weapons the dragonborn assumed. Kendra sighed, she did remember the time she just rushed off into battle, it ended with having to be stuck at Lakeview Manor for a week to heal, it wasn't fun. If Aela was another person she would have given a response that would probably lead to a fight, but instead she just laughed.

Lemon looked a bit more offended but brushed it off quickly. Kendra opened the bag and looked through it, it had her Ebony Mail, Konahrik, and a few backup weapons that she didn't already have on her person. Which was more than she should probably carry at any given time. “Well thank you” Kendra stated before taking the armor she was wearing off, and putting the ebony mail on, along with Konahrik’s hood. The others seemed to be getting ready as well, due to all the noise. But the stronger armor did little to ease her nerves, which is understandable the dragonborn assumed, fighting centuries older and more experienced dragonborn would be nerve-wracking. Kendra just hoped it wouldn't be too difficult.

“Are you ready?” a gloved hand touched her back, “As I’ll ever be” Kendra lied straight through her teeth, she wasn't ready, not in the slightest bit. But people depended on her to stay hopeful and strong, the dragonborn had learned that early on. She had to stay strong so others may live, not just survive like Kendra is. 

\------

The group approached the temple, and with every step, Kendra was becoming more and more thankful she put on the dragon priest mask to hide her face. With every dragon skeleton they passed she was getting increasingly more excited or scared, or maybe both. Yeah, it was probably both. Although she must admit she was impressed by the amount, she had counted up to 12 skulls, but there could always be more that are missing for whatever reason. 

Kendra kept pace with the others, occasionally falling behind due to her getting distracted by a butterfly or anything else. But as soon as the temple came to view the dragonborn was one high alert. When the group was in front of it, Serana gave a confused glance behind her, and everyone else shared her expression. It was still being built? Lemon walked up the ramp to one of the people working on it but stopped before they said anything. Kendra, sensing she was needed, walked up to Lemon and the person working.

That’s when she saw it, the worker was in the same strange trance as pretty much the rest of the island which did surprise Kendra as much as the worker's frostbitten hands. The tips of their fingers were as black as night, but the worker continued to work like everything was normal. “I don't think this is….normal” Lemon said while gesturing to the worker. It was a dark elf. “I got a feeling that the further we go in, the stranger it will become”, Kendra heard footsteps behind her as Aela and Serana walked next to them. “That's normally how these things go” Serana responded, making Aela chuckle.

The group left the worker behind, as they couldn't currently do anything to help in any way. At the top of the wooden ramp they heard a woman yelling, naturally, everyone drew their weapons, Lemon drew her enchanted iron sword, Serana readied vampire drain and ice spike in her hands, Aela her bow, and Kendra….a dagger. When Kendra realized the severe weapon difference she was tempted to reach for her ebony blade on her back, but that would take too long and be too noisy, so if they did get ambushed Kendra would just have to shout. Besides, she liked screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Ysra, can you hear me?” The woman cried again, Kendra snuck closer, to get a closer look, hiding behind one of the pillars. “You must leave this place!” Kendra heard her companions sheth their weapons or spells. But still being on guard if the woman suddenly tries to attack them. Kendra popped her head out from behind the pillar. “You there.” shit. “What brings you to this place? Why are you here?” Kendra tilted her head to the side, wondering how much information to give, this woman seems trustworthy but appearances can be deceiving. 

Kendra narrowed her eyes behind the mask. “Who are you?” Thankfully Aela came to the rescue, “I am Frea of the Skaal. I am here to either save my people or avenge them” Kendra looked around, the sounds of a hammer hitting metal echoing throughout the to-be temple. “Save them from what?” Kendra asked calmly, the Dragonborn had a hunch that Miraak was about to come up in conversation again.

“I am unsure. Something has taken control of most of the people on Solstheim '' Kendra nodded she had noticed this, ‘It makes them forget themselves, and work on these horrible creations that corrupt the Stones, the very land itself. My father Storn, our shaman, says Miraak has returned to Solstheim, but that is impossible” Kendra sighed if she had a bottle of mead every time someone says something along the lines of “our leader said this bad thing is happening but that can't be true even though the evidence is right there!” she would probably be either dead or wishing she was dead. 

“What do you know about Miraak?”, Serena asked, probably thinking the same thing Kendra was. “His story is as old as Solstheim itself. He served the dragons before their fall from power, as most did. A priest in their order. But unlike most, he turned against them. He made his own path, and his actions cost him dearly. The stories say he sought to claim Solstheim for himself, and the dragons destroyed him for it”. Kendra snorted, but thankfully due to the mask, it was muffled but not enough apparently, as Lemon elbowed her in the side, causing a small yelp. 

“This Miraak tried to have me killed”, Kendra stated, as calmly as possible. Which her tone surprised even herself, it sounded way more serious than intended but that seemed to work in her favor as Frea continued to speak “Then you and I both have a reason to see what lies beneath us. Let us go. There is nothing more I can do here. The tree stone and my friends are beyond my help now” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lemon nodding along, while Kendra was paying more attention to the soon-to-be temple. The arches were both impressive and off-putting, something was definitely off, and in a really really bad way. 

Before Kendra could think anymore on the topic, the sound of spells reading snapped her head to the group, instinctively they landed on Serana, who did not have any spells out, and was just starting to ready them. This made Kendra sigh, she really didn't feel like fighting anyone just yet. She scanned around for the attackers to only see more cultists. Kendra reached for her ebony blade when one of the cultists was getting a little bit too close to her.

Kendra tightened her grip on her sword, preparing for an attack. The cultist shot an ice spike at her which she dodged quickly, Kendra quickly kicked the cultist in the knee, causing them to lose their balance. Kendra was about to land a killing blow when an arrow appeared at the cultist's neck. She looked up to see Aela with her bow and a wide smile. Kendra smiled back but then stopped when she realized that Aela couldn't see it. 

Kendra looked around to see the other cultist was dead too, with Serana and Lemon over it. Both looked unharmed in the attack. The dragonborn looked over at Frea, who seemed to already be going down a ramp that wasn't there before. She felt Lemon’s stare on her shoulders, asking a question “should we follow her”, Kendra shook her head while following Frea. Silently smiling to herself when she heard Serana let out a huff.

The architecture inside the temple didn't really differ from the Nordic ruins in Skyrim, but it was obvious that the temple was more lived-in than the other temples with the chairs and tables about, if you ignored the occasional skeleton if could be considered home-y.

Kendra began to enjoy Frea’s different outlook on the whole situation, it was refreshing because as much as she hated to admit it, the dragonborn had become desensitized to draugr and other common nordic ruin inhabitants. Kendra and probably her companions are so-called seasoned dungeon explorers, Although most of the time it was just Lemon and Kendra, Serana and Aela were always a welcomed addition.

Serana and Lemon normally fell behind to talk about Akatosh knows what, Aela stayed on constant alert ignoring Lemon’s comments that she doesn't have too. Kendra tried to keep pace with Frea, which was easier said than done when everything was just so interesting! Eventually, they came across a room with just a dragon skeleton hanging there. Kendra was more impressed than anything, dragon bones were heavy. Lemon nudged her side, “You have room in Lakeview…” Kendra thought about it, she did, but it would be a tight fit but it could be possible even with the constant threat of it falling.

Chanting drew her attention away from the dovah skeleton to a word wall, Kendra almost like clockwork, drew a small journal from a small bag on her belt. She walked up to the word wall, Qah..strength, she wrote that down next to the other words of power she knew, not like she forgot, she just often forgot what they meant. The dragonborn also wrote down the rest of the engraved words, it was one of the easiest ways to learn since she was unable to visit Paarthurnax every day. She would have to ask Odahviing for translations later since some words barely made any sense together.

While Kendra was writing she could hear the open and closing with a chest, and as soon as the dragonborn closed her book she heard the oh so familiar sound of a draugr waking up, she barely had time to put the book into her bag before having to yet again fight the dead. 

The draugr, like most of their kind in the temple where a few swift aeros from Aela, a handful of slashes from Lemons blade and the occasional ice spike they were easy enough to take out. Too easy, really if all 4 of them worked together any ruin could be cleared out in less than a week. And Frea just made the whole experience a breeze, the dragonborn probably could see herself just exploring for the rest of her life, even if her dovah soul wasn't happy about it. The inner desire to dominant had been and still is a hard one to get under control, sometimes influences her actions indirectly, but most of the time she trusted her dov to know what they were doing.

Kendra was probably spaced out again, as she came to reality Lemon had their hand on her shoulder the dragonborn nodded. Kendra walked to the empty draugr coffin and investigated the corpse, “does anyone have a key?” Kendra looked up at Frea, the coffin had a door behind it! The dragonborn nodded, she had seen the same trick used before in other ruins although it was never locked before, The dragonborn heard footsteps and looked up, Serana walked towards the door and put a key in the lock, after a few moments it opened, much to the relief of everyone else, a missing key would suck for the whole mission. 

The next room was a kitchen, “A dead end?” Frea asked, sounding disappointed and irritated. Kendra could hear Serana and Aela investigating the walls, for a ruin this size to just suddenly end..was pretty much unheard off. Lemon took off to inspect the food, Kendra made note that they would probably have to eat after they cleared the temple, Kendra often didn’t carry food on her, one of the perks of having a dov soul is she didn't have to eat, which probably saved her a lot more than she gave it credit for.

“Lets hope there is a secret exit somewhere otherwise this was very anticlimactic” Kendra stated, even if there weren't any other rooms, most dungeons had an exit out the back. Lemon nodded, stuffing a knife in their bag. “Is there a lever anywhere? Walls don't normally look like this” Kendra turned her attention to Aela who was inspecting a crack in the wall, it did indeed not look like the rest of the wall. Kendra went to look for a lever in the back room, grabbing a few potions that were there. 

Once the lever was found and the secret door opened the group went onwards, avoiding (most) traps, re-killing the dead, and every once in awhile stopping when someone had a complaint. Overall a standard trip for the four of them. They soon fell back into rhythm with Lemon and Frea taking the lead, Serana and Aela in the back, and Kendra switching between the two.

As the group approached the end of the temple, Kendra wasn't having a good time, she constantly felt like she was being watched, and there was a pressure on her lungs that made it hard to breathe, and she did not care for that at all. “There seems to be one room left…” Lemon observed, causing unease in Kendra. Just a single room at the end of a huge temple like this… was never a good sign.

“Oh I don't like this,” Lemon said and Frea nodded, which really did nothing to settle the dragonborn’s nerves. Kendra took one step and cursed Akatosh, she heard Aela and Serana walk in behind her, and the dragonborn could swear she heard them do the same. "There are dark magics at work here. Ready yourself. This book... It seems wrong, somehow. Here, yet... not. It may be what we seek." Kendra could not express how much she didn't want to open the book in the middle of the room, she would rather join the stormcloaks, but unlike that, she has to read this book.

Kendra hesitantly opened it, but as soon as the cover was lifted the book snapped open. Kendra let out a small swear to the divines as tentacles reached for her. She could just barely hear the cry of her companions as she blacked out.

Kendra opened her eyes to a sickly green landscape, and almost instantly sensed two dragons, one extremely powerful. Before she had time to take in the horrid landscape a sound drew her attention to it. “The Time comes soon when…” the dragonborn turned around, “what?” only to be met with a lightning bolt to the chest, Kendra fell to the floor with a thud, just barely managed to catch herself with her hands. If Kendra could speak she would definitely be using every swear in her dictionary.

“Who are you to dare set foot here” Kendra just barely managed to lift her head, she saw a man in dark blue-green robes, and to what looked like a dragon priest mask. That's when it hit her, that's Miraak. Even without knowing that the first dragonborn was Miraak anyone with more sense than a mudcrab that this man is extremely powerful. Only an idiot would challenge him to a fight...and she was that idiot.

"Who are you to dare set foot here?" Kendra made a point to stare directly into his eyes, or where his eyes would be. "Ahh...you are dragonborn. I can feel it." Miraak's posture changed, and he seemed to stare right back. "And yet… So you have slain Alduin… Well done. I could have done it myself, back when I walked the earth, but I choose a different path" this caused slight irritation in Kendra, which Miraak seemed to notice. "You have no idea the power a true dragonborn a wield, Mul... Qah Diiv." The last dragonborn tried to hide her amazement, Miraak may be trying to kill her, but that was impressive, which that seemed to have becoming a theme. "This realm is beyond you. You have no power here, and it is only a matter of time before Solstheim is also mine. I already control the minds of its people. Soon they will finish building my temple, and I can return home." Miraak turned to one of the monsters near him, Kendra tried not to look at it directly. "Send her back where he came from. She can await my arrival with the rest of Tamriel."

The hideous monsters started to float towards her. Kendra tried to focus on Miraak as long as possible, she watched as he left on the back of a dragon. But soon he was out of sight, and the monsters soon closed in on her. She let out a small whimper of helplessness as the creatures started to hit her with a spell unlike any she saw.

She awoke in Lemon's arms, their face had nothing but panic on it. Kendra reached a hand to try and soothe probably the worse headache she had ever felt. "For fucks sake…" Kendra quietly mumbled. Aela seemed to be the first person to notice she was awake. "You good?" Was all she asked before being interpreted. 

"What happened to you? You read the book and then... It seemed as though you were not really here. I could see you, but also see through you!" Frea said Kendra wished for anything in oblivion to just take her out right now. When Frea's words actually registered, "I'm not entirely sure, But I saw Miraak.." Kendra choose her words carefully. "Where? Where is he? Can we reach him? Can we kill him?" Frea asked, Kendra, blinked, she would rather answer these questions later. 

"The book...took me to where he is, I don't think we can kill him just yet" Kendra stated with a groan, if she ever had to go back there it would be too soon. "This is a dangerous thing, then. We should return to my village, and show this to my father. Perhaps Storn can make sense of what is going on. Come, there looks to be a way out through here."

Kendra attempted to stand up, Aela and Lemon seemed to be talking, Kendra didn't have try to listen to know they were talking about possible battle strategies, Serana seemed to be further studying the book, being careful not to open it. Kendra sighed, after all this was over, she was going to take a weeks break. And nothing is going to stop her from doing that.


	4. Oh That's just fantastic!

“When we left Skyrim, I thought the cold weather would go away” Kendra glanced to Lemon, who was walking beside her, the dragonborn playfully nudged the warrior’s side, “I thought you said you loved Skyrim’s weather, ‘ it's so much cooler than Hammerfell, I'm never leaving’ “ Kendra did a poor impression of Lemon’s voice, Kendra could remember quite clearly when they first met each other on the way to Skyrim, the dragonborn was just 19 then, and Lemon 17. If only their past selves knew what trouble Skyrim had in store for them. 

"You see that green light? That comes from the Wind Stone, where my people work against their will. They must be freed soon." Kendra nodded, it was clear that Miraak was going to drive everyone to their deaths if this was kept up. It was moments like these that the dragonborn felt jealous of her nord companions. Both Kendra and Lemon were lucky enough to have Breton blood, but Lemon’s redguard blood wasn't agreeing with the cold weather of Skyrim and now, Solstheim. 

"The village is just ahead. Storn has used his magic to raise a barrier around it, protecting the few of us left. That the barrier is still there is a good sign.” Kendra snapped out her mind and looked at the village. It was about the size of Riverwood but with taller buildings, and snow, alot of snow. Serana seemed interested in the barrier, after the defeat of Harkon, Serana had taken to studying other forms of magic. As the group walked into the village, Kendra noted that there were three Skaal meditating around a glowing light that, Kendra assumed, was keeping the barrier up. Frea walked up to them and started talking to who she guessed was Storn.

"Father! I have returned! There is yet hope!" The dragonborn heard Aela clearing her throat and then some mumbling. Kendra incisively turned around, to see, of course, a storm on its way. Kendra’s eyes landed on Lemon, who seemed to be throwing a mini fit. Before Kendra commented, Storn’s voice brought her attention back to him and Frea. "Frea! What news do you bring? Is there a way to free our people?" The dragonborn observed the old man, he had grey hair that reached to his neck, where it was then hidden by a thick coat. Kendra could see how this man was a shaman, he looked very wise. 

"No, but I have brought someone who has seen things... She has confirmed that Miraak is indeed behind the suffering of our people." Kendra took off her mask, she thought it would be easier to talk to her face and not the old mask of a warlord. Kendra nodded at Frea’s response. "I feared that it would be so." The dragonborn nodded, Miraak’s influence on the island was present, but her dov was telling her something was off, there is more to this than she currently knows. 

"But how is that possible? After all this time..." Frea asked, worry in her voice. That bought up a question the dragonborn hadn't thought of before. How was Miraak alive? Miraak was over 3000 or so years, was it because of his dovah blood or something else? Kendra wished she studied more magic back in Highrock, which would have been useful right about now. The dragonborn snapped out of that train of thought, she’d have to think more about it later. "I fear there is too much we do not yet know." The dragonborn nodded, her thoughts exactly.

Frea turned to Kendra, "Please, tell Storn what has happened." The dragonborn thought over her words carefully. Not knowing how much information to give- and what information to hold back. Kendra turned to Storn, who interrupted her before she could speak. "So you have seen things, yes? My magic grows weak, and so does the barrier around our village. Time is short. Tell me what you know." Kendra nodded, the dragonborn wasn't even really in tune (for lack of a better term) with magic in the slightest but she could feel the barrier weakening by the second.

“I read a book in Miraak’s temple, it took me to where it was, it wasn't..pretty” Kendra shivered, the dragonborn did not like that place. "The legends speak of that place. Terrible battles fought at the temple. The dragons burning it to the ground in rage.” Kendra nodded, that added up with what Odahviing and Paarthurnax had told her, although she was interested in how he knew…”They speak also of something worse than dragons buried within. Difficult to imagine, but if true... It means what I feared has come to pass. Miraak was never truly gone, and now has returned. If you could go to this place and see him... Are you like Miraak? Are you Dragonborn?" Kendra weighed the options, she would rather not tell anyone she was dragonborn just yet, but she didn't see any way out of it.

“I am..dragonborn” Kendra nodded as she spoke, she wanted to know her enemy as much as possible, although something just wasn't right. "Then perhaps you are connected with him. The old tales say that he, too, was Dragonborn." Kendra nodded, both statements being correct. The dragonborns were indeed connected, which Kendra really didn't care for in the slightest.

“So if we are both dragonborn, what does that mean?” Kendra asked, she wasn't a history expert by any means but the dragonborn couldn't think of any time that two dragonborns have existed in the same time, much less met each other. "I am unsure. It may mean that you could save us, or it may mean that you could bring about our destruction. But our time here is running out.” The dragonborn did not like how that was phased, it made her feel..dirty in a way. Like she had the choice to either kill everyone or..not. Which yeah, she had the choice on whether or not to commit genocide but that doesnt mean she liked making the choice. 

“The few of us free of control cannot protect ourselves for much longer. You must go to Saering's Watch. Learn there the word that Miraak learned long ago, and use that knowledge on the Wind Stone. You may be able to break the hold on our people there, and free them from control." A word wall! Kendra was excited every time she had the opportunity to learn a new shout, although, she couldn't tell if it was her dov instinct to dominate and learn or just the thrill of adventure, probably both.

The dragonborn wanted to ask Storn more about Miraak, but something was telling her that time was of the essence, and as much as she hated it Kendra did not have time to learn everything there is about the first dragonborn. “It will be done before day breaks tomorrow” Kendra said, more of a motivation for her than a promise. Storn seemed contempt with that answer and went back to meditating. Kendra turned around on her heel and noticed only Aela there. The dragonborn gave Aela a confused look, which she shrugged in response, Kendra could not wait to hear what Lemon and Serana were getting into. 

Kendra started walking to the exit of the village, pulling out her map. Saering's Watch was north-west of the Skaal Village, hopefully Aela would explain what the other two were up to. A thundering crackle made both warriors jump. The dragonborn looked up to see some not very friendly looking clouds, “I think it would be wise to set up camp for the night” Aela stated, “We should get half way there before the storm hits” One thing Kendra had learned is that Solsthiem is alot smaller than Skyrim, so it should be only twenty mintiues to get halfway there. 

* * *

Kendra sighed, the dragonborn and Aela were just able to set up the tent in time before the rain started. They found a nice cliff to set up under, to protect from most of the rain, The dragonborn guessed they were just going to wait until the rain cleared up, or at least wasn't as hard. Aela was outside of the tent sharpening arrows by the sounds. Kendra leaned back into her sleeping roll, they had learned a lot in the past few days, Kendra wrote down most of the information in a spare notebook. When it was all written down it was more...odd than it seemed. Kendra had written the word wall on the next page, just to try and keep things organized. 

The dragonborn laid her head back, something about this isn't adding up, the unknown factor is what was scaring her the most. Who or what was behind this...Kendra didn't really want to cross. Kendra was at least 68% sure that she could take Miraak, without whatever was helping him interfering. 

A noise made Kendra’s head snap up, Aela was just moving into the tent. “The rain is only getting worse” She stated, making the dragonborn sigh. What would have been a 40-minute trip is now going to be a few hours. “Let's hope Serana and Lemon are doing better” The Dragonborn stated, apparently they had gone off to learn more about the book she found, Which made her mad at first, but if they split up they could get more accomplished, the only thing that still irked her was they had no way of communicating, that wouldn't take days.

“Do you want to sleep in shifts?” Aela asked, Kendra thought, that would be the smartest option, even more so in these strange lands. The dragonborn hummed a yes, to which Aela walked out of the tent, Kendra assumed this meant that she was taking the first shift. She closed her book and turned over on her side. Yeah, there were many questions unanswered, but that was for future Kendra to figure out. 

* * *

Kendra woke from a dreamless sleep, with the sound of metal hitting metal outside of the tent. The dragonborn looked over to Aela’s bedroll, to find her, awake, and looking as confused as her. When they made eye contact they seemed to have the same “oh shit” moment, Kendra’s eyes darted for any weapon, Aela seemed to be reaching for her bow, The dragonborn reached for a dagger that was covered by a cloth. She could now hear mumbling outside. Bandits, or whatever they are called here, they weren't that big of a threat back in Skyrim, mostly an annoyance. But both Kendra and Aela are unprepared for an attack, and that...isn't good. 

Kendra heard Aela quietly pull back her bow, and readied an arrow. Kendra removed the covers from over her and that dagger as fast and as quiet as possible. The dragonborn had to be careful, she and Aela didn't have their normal armor on, a good swing of a sword could very easily kill either of them. She quietly got to a couching up, the dragonborn looked back at Aela, she seemed to be waiting for the same thing. As soon as the tent flap moved, Aela let loose on the arrow, and by the sound of alarm and pain from a bandit: it hit its target. 

Kendra only waited a moment before she slid out of the tent, and crashed into a bandit’s legs, knocking them down. The dragonborn used the dagger and slit the person's throat while they were down. Another arrow flew past Kendra at frightening speed, hitting another bandit, the bandit let out a small scream, before it was cut off but the sound of them choking on their own blood. Which was fair when a skilled archer shot you in the throat. Kendra looked around, the remaining two bandits were running away.

Aela walked out of the tent and retrieved her arrows, Kendra looked over herself, the bandits didn't seem to get any hits on her besides a few scrapes. Kendra looked around, the rain seemed to be light if it was there at all. “So I guess we leave now?” Kendra asked, they were both reasonably awake, and next time they camped the dragonborn would have to stay up. Aela grunted in response, Kendra looked back and Aela was already packing up. So she assumed that was a yes? Kendra smiled and went to put on her armor and pack her things. 

It was mostly a peaceful walk to Saering’s Watch, it was about midnight and the rain was gentle. But that was about it for sounds, Kendra missed the sounds of crickets that chirped all night in the Reach and Falkreath hold. As the pair got closer to Saering’s Watch the rain started turning into light snow, which made Kendra wonder how Serana and Lemon were doing with this weather. 

The familiar feeling of the dragonborn’s stomach dropping made her groan, she did not want to fight a dragon today in any way, shape, or form. Aela glanced at her, wondering what made her suddenly groan, "There is a dragon, probably guarding the word wall” with that new knowledge, Aela also groaned, it was not a dragon-fighting day it seemed. 

Kendra pulled out her ebony greatsword and readied a shout. Aela seemed to be doing the same minus the shout. The ground seemed to vibrate as the dragon woke up, probably sensing Kendra as well. They slowly moved into the ruins, it looked to be nordic, there was probably an underground ruin under the snow and rubble. 

The dov roared, which considering Kendra had killed a few dragons in her time shouldn't have scared her as much as it did. Kendra ducked into a small crevice, she looked around to see that Aela was doing the same while shooting at it. Kendra had a mini conflict on whether or not to use Dragonrend, it just didn't feel right using it all the time. But the conflict was soon over as the ground shook when the dov landed. 

Kendra took a deep breath, and ran out of her cover, just in time to avoid fire from the dragon. The dragon whipped it’s head and stared at Kendra, before opening its mouth to say something or shout. But Kendra did not give the dragon that chance, she charged and rammed her sword into its neck, it gave the dragonborn enough momentum to kick off and climb onto the dovah’s neck. She knew she had to be careful up here, If the dov decided to take off she would be dead. 

The dragon did not seem happy with this development, the dragon roared and whipped its head to get her off. “I fucking love this job-” Kendra said while hanging on for dear life. The dragonborn heard a _Whoosh_ and ducked. The roars of fury became roars of agony, confused, Kendra looked up to see Aela had really good aim as the arrow was right in the dragon's eye. Seeing an opportunity, Kendra climbed up to the dragon's head hanging on for her life, as the dragon was getting madder and more desperate.

Kendra steadily stood up, which was difficult on a thrashing dragon head. She took her sword in one hand, while the other was for a balance. The dragonborn sloppy slashed the side of the dragon’s face, Kendra sent a silent prayer to Sithis that this dragon would just stop and make this easier, but it appeared the dread father had shut their ears. The sound of another arrow made Kendra slightly jump, then an idea dawned on her. She moved her sword to her other hand and carefully reached for the arrow, which wasn't the best idea as she lost balance and was kicked off. 

The dragonborn landed with a thud, but quickly got back on her feet, one thing she had learned is to never give a dragon a chance to hit you because they will take it. The dragon turned to face her, and it looked really, really mad. Kendra got a look at it’s face, the eye was completely fucked up, not to mention the giant gash in the side of its face. She felt a pang of pity for the dov, that looked really painful. The dragon, however, was still wanting to fight, which she found out when the left half of her got really hot, like burning hot.

“Oh, shit-” Kendra ducked out of the way before the dragon could finish its shout. The dragonborn looked around, she still had a plan but she just needed a way to execute it. Her eyes landed on a loose enough stone, she just had to get to a place where she could knock it over…the dragonborn dropped her sword, which probably wasn't a good move but it was a risk she was going to take. 

The dragonborn could see the stone clearly, she just had to make sure the dragon did not attack her. Kendra readied a shout, “Fus..Ro Dah!”. And with that, the stone fell and judging by the roars it landed on its target. She got back onto the ground and picked up her sword, Kendra walked up to the dragon and sat down right at the end of the snout. The dragon was already dead, so she had about 30 seconds before she started absorbing their soul.

“Krosis” Kendra said, the dragon was beautiful, like most of their kind. She would be the first to say she was jealous of almost every dragon, with their wings and downright beautiful scales. The only thing she didn't find appealing was being that big, how could you sneak around? Or be relatively fast when you're as big as a house. 

The dragonborn started doing what dragonborn’s were made to do: absorbing dragon souls. The familiar rush of adrenaline and power, until it was suddenly gone. Like it was never there in the first place, it left her feeling empty and cold. Kendra stood up and looked around, confused, this has never happened before. “Not this time Dragonborn, this one is mine” Kendra’s head whipped around to see a spectral version of Miraak, who was stealing her soul. 

Kendra didn't even try to hide her expression, was he serious? Oh, he was serious. Miraak seemed to take pride in her reaction, even with the mask, Kendra just had a gut instinct that he had the widest fucking grin. Miraak soon disappeared, apparently, Kendra was just staring at the wall with her mouth agape. “Can he do that?” Kendra’s head snapped to Aela. “I..guess he can!” Kendra explained, oh she was mad. Madder than she has probably ever been, what gave Miraak the right to just do that!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dovahzul Translations: 
> 
> Dov/dovah: dragon
> 
> Krosis: sorry


	5. Oh, Great! 2.0 electric boogaloo

Kendra refused to think about the seer audacity while walking to the chanting word wall. Aela seemed to get the hint that she wasn't really in the talking mood. The dragonborn stepped over a corpse of a draugr with an arrow in its skull. Aela must have taken care of them while she was fighting the dragon. Kendra smiled slightly at the werewolf, she wasn't going to say “thank you” but the dragonborn was thankful, one unexpected shout from a draugr could have very easily killed both of them.

  
The dragonborn pulled out her journal and started to write down the cravings, it was always a race to see if she could get it down before she understood the word of power, which normally results in sloppy and most unreadable to anyone but her. “What’s it say?” Aela said, normally it would be Serana asking, maybe even Lemon on good days. Kendra looked over it, “It says something about a person named Bhar..who sat here until he became old and wise?” The dragonborn tried to muster up surprise, but there were weirder word walls.

  
Aela hummed, probably thinking the same thing. Gol...earth, “Let’s get to the Wind Stone, and scream at it until it undoes whatever Miraak has done” The mention of the other dragonborn made Kendra want to punch the wall, even if she was the one to say it in the first place. Resisting the urge to rage break her hand, she reached for her map. “The Wind Stone is on the way back to the Skaal Village” Kendra put her map back in her bag, it would be near impossible to miss.  
Aela was already walking down the stairs. Kendra looked around, the rain finally stopped but the scent lingered. The night sky was beautiful, the aurora was shining emerald color. The dragonborn took a deep breath, the crisp night air was cold and fresh, even more with the scent of rain. They normally didn't have time to stop much when they were adventuring. “Are you coming?” Aela’s voice made Kendra jump, she smiled and hurried down the staircase. Those stones weren't going to cleanse themselves.

“Our hands once were idle” Kendra poked the dunmer, they had been repeating a mantra of sorts. If the dragonborn had more time and wasn't scared of succumbing to Miraak’s control, she would have written it down for analysis. “Everyone here seems about as responsive as the rest” Kendra turned around to Aela and nodded. “So do I just...shout at the pillar?” Kendra asked tentatively, it would seem that is what needed to be done but just in case it wasn't, the dragonborn didn't want to look like a fool.

“I guess so” Aela responded, she seemed confused, Kendra asked, but it was an outlandish idea in the first place, but what wasn't outlandish? The dragonborn focused on the word...Gol, earth. Would it manipulate the earth? That would make sense. She took a deep breath..”...Gol!”. Oh, that tasted weird, earthy, which makes sense. The effects were near-instant, the people working stopped, and started to mutter under their breath. 

The ground started to shake, which Kendra assumed wasn't a good sign. Her theory was proven right when the temple like arches exploded. “Oh fuck-” she heard Aela say. When the dust settled, Kendra looked around. The people and even rieklings were confused. Kendra had met a tribe of them in a mead hall, although she left them alone.

Kendra’s thoughts were rudely interrupted by a horrid roar. She looked up to see a monster that made her want to throw up, it looked disgusting. Aela wasted no time and shot it in the neck, that seemed to only anger the atrocious monster, it roared again, this time Kendra could see the full glory of the tentacles coming out of its mouth. The dragonborn had seen a lot in her days of traveling but this is, this is the worst thing, her eyes had the displeasure of seeing. The dragonborn shouted “Yol Toor Shul!” and dodged a claw swipe that didn't look very friendly.

Her hand landed on her Blade of Woe, it wouldn't do as much damage as her ebony greatsword, but it could do more damage faster. Kendra felt her stomach drop, gods a dragon is the last thing she needed to deal with right now. Aela continued to shoot arrows at the monstrosity before the pair. Kendra unsheathed the blade, trying to ignore the dragon that most certainly was trying to find them.  
The monster laid its horrible eyes on Kendra, and oh god it was ugly. It started making its way to the dragonborn, looking mad. She sent a silent curse to Akatosh, when the approaching dragon roared, she considered swearing to the Dread Father too. Kendra adjusted the blade in her hand, having the blade face her. The dragonborn readied a whirlwind sprint shout, but she never got to use it. She looked around in confusion, did the monster just..disappear? Or did they turn invisible?

The dragon roared overhead, Kendra instinctively looked up and saw a very familiar dragon with red and purple scales. With the monster in his claws, the dragonborn let out a sigh of relief. She heard Aela put away her bow, realizing that Odahviing just took care of this situation with ease. “I should’ve known” Kendra mumbled, Odahviing was probably waiting for her to call for him, and she totally forgot. 

Odahviing dropped the monster in the ocean, which would have been funny if Kendra wasn't embarrassed by getting distracted. The dragon flew back towards them and landed on the other side of the wind stone, causing the ground to rumble. “Hail Thuri, you are a lot harder to find without your thu’um” Kendra re-seethed her blade and made her way to the brightly colored dovah. “I’m sorry! Zu’u forgot” Kendra said, embarrassed. 

“Ni ruth,” Odahviing said. The dragonborn could practically feel the wave of relief wash over her. Kendra thought for a moment, what was she going to tell him? The dragonborn heard the chatter of Aela behind her, probably checking on someone. Odahviing shifted, to a probably to a more comfortable position. “Oh, right!” She reached for her journal and flipped to the word wall poorly written on the page. Kendra reread it, still, some words didn't make sense. “Pah werid morokei Miraak zok suleykaar do pah Sonaak wen mul bolaav naal fahluaan do jul?” The dragonborn knew what all those words meant separately but all together like that she was clueless.

“What does that mean?” she asked, Odahviing thought for a moment, Kendra probably mispronounced some words, but showing the dov her rushed writing on the page wouldn't be much help either. “Fahluaan do jul?” Kendra nodded, that was the main part that was tripping her up. “deyra, gardener of man”. 

The dragonborn almost dropped the journal “nid, ni vahzah” Kendra said in disbelief. Odahviing shook his head. This time, Kendra wanted to throw the journal down in rage. The gardener of man, the one and only Hermaeous Mora.“Fuck me gently with a battleax” she mumbled under her breath. 

* * *

“Well...that could’ve been better” Lemon looked over to their vampire companion, and laughed a little “yeah, I would say so”. Lemon stood up, ringing out the water from their shirt. The pair, in their search for more information on the book they found in Miraak’s Temple, had stumbled upon a dunmer mage named Neloth. Since finding him they have discovered many things, one, is that the books are called “Black Books” and belong to the daedric prince Hermaeous Mora, which Lemon was sure Kendra isn't going to be happy about.

Lemon also found out that they needed more of these books, and that led them to a dwarven ruin of Nchardak. Neloth had been pleasant company, although Lemon had mostly tuned out his talk about the ruin, Serana however, seemed very interested. But Lemon could tell that the vampire was growing sick of the water fast, and they couldn't blame her. The water smelt like a horrid combination of stagnant water and oil. But other than that and the occasional dwarven machine that tried to kill them, they were fine.

Lemon jumped at the sound of a dwarven spider appearing, Serana, and Neloth, like clockwork, got their magic out and started shooting it with lightning and ice spikes. Their hands darted to their enchanted sword, but by the time the sword was unsheathed, there was ice clogging up its joints and electricity messing with its system, making it almost impossible for it to move. Lemon just walked up to the robotic spider and bopped it on it’s “head” with the hilt of their sword, to finally “kill” it. 

They kept their sword out, there was never just one piece of dwarven machinery. The sound of yet another machine activating was accompanied by a groan from Serana. A dwarven arrow shot right past the pair. Lemon looked to where it was shot, from a higher place. They ran right, their vampire companion following right behind. Lemon slammed their back into the wall, they looked to the side and saw a dwarven centurion, it didn't appear that it would attack them though. 

The dwarven attacker fired again as Lemon and Serana slowly made their way up the stairs. When they got to the top they saw, a walking dwarven crossbow? “Oh! That's a new one!” Lemon said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible as it continued to shoot arrows at them. Serana grunted unenthusiastically and shot ice at its feet. If they weren't under attack they would have laughed. 

Lemon ran to the left, avoiding tripping on any rubble. They got to where they could attack the ballista without the ballista attacking them. Lemon gathered the courage and bolted to the machine. They shoved their sword into the crack between the metal plates. With that leverage, Lemon quickly pried the metal plate off. When they pulled their sword out of the ballista, it lost its balance for a short amount of time. Serana caught on to the idea, she shot ice at its feet, making it lose its balance even more. 

One kick to the side was all it took for the robot to fall to the ground, landing with a satisfying crunch. Footsteps approached them, Lemon turned their head to Neloth, he was handing Serana one of those control cubes that controls the flooding. “That’s how many now?” Lemon asked, “four?” Serana replied. She was the one that carried the cubes, Lemon stated they did not want that responsibility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dovahzul Translations: 
> 
> Zu'u: I
> 
> Ni ruth: no rage (the closest thing to "its ok" that sounded right)
> 
> Pah werid morokei Miraak zok suleykaar do pah Sonaak wen mul bolaav naal fahluaan do jul: All praise glorious Miraak Most power(ful) servant of all Dragon Priests, whose strength (was) granted by (the) gardener of mankind.
> 
> Fahluaan do jul: Gardener of mankind 
> 
> Deyra: Daedra
> 
> nid, ni vahzah: No, not true
> 
> This chapter and the next are going to be a little shorter than was I attended due to eso being free for 12 days whilst writing this and I want to get as much as I can out of it before it goes away.


	6. Scrubbing The Stones Clean Of Bastard Energy

By the time they had got enough steam into the book-room, Lemon was tired and they could guess Serana was about done as well. The steam smelled just awful, they tried not to think about what was actually in the air they were breathing. "Yes, it worked! The steam is flowing. Now it should be as simple as... That should do it. At last. I hope it was worth it. Please... be my guest. You deserve the first look. Besides, it could be very dangerous. These books are known to drive many people insane." 

Lemon could have laughed, there was no way *they* were going to be the ones to read it, that was Kendra’s job, they got the book and that’s more than enough contact they wanted with Hermaeous Mora. “I myself aren't going to read these...books” Lemon made a gesture towards the book, “now how do we get the book to her…” Serana said she seemed to be lost in thought. Lemon realized they actually had no plan to get the book to Kendra without accidentally opening it.

A loud sound outside made the three of them jump, it didn't sound like anything dwarven. “For your sake let's hope that’s something friendly” Neloth stated, almost like a fact. The large dwarven door moved and two people hurried in, very disheveled. They were breathing heavily like they were running from something. “How long do you think it takes for a dragon to destroy a dwarven roof?” one person asked, to which the other grunted. Wait...Lemon knew that voice..”Kendra?”.

Kendra jumped, obviously not before noticing there were other people in the room. Aela must have noticed though, as she let out a small cackle seeing Kendra jump like that. Serana let out a small giggle but it was quickly replaced with a small smile, Neloth however ruined the mood “Who are you and what are you doing here?” the dunmer mage asked. Kendra cleared her throat “Well I’m Kendra and this is Aela, and that-” the dragon roared as if on queue, “is a very angry dragon”.

  
Serana sighed, “Kendra what do you do for a living?” she asked, Kendra seemed to have an answer already but didn't say it, “grave rob?” she said it testingly as if she wasn't sure if that was the right answer. “Besides grave rob!” Lemon said, exasperated. “Kill drag-” “Kill dragons!” Serana scolded, almost motherly, but a mother whose child is being stupid. “Do your job?” Lemon said, getting equally tired of Kendra’s bullshit. 

“Ah well!” Kendra paused as if thinking the next words though carefully “this dragon has been specifically told to kill me- it started to chase me after I shouted at the Sun Stone” Aela made a “hmph” noise, which seemed to confirm what Kendra was saying as true. “And, who would tell a dragon to kill you?”. Kendra’s face changed into something that was a mix of shock and confusion. 

“Miraak? It’s kinda a given here?” Aela stated, which made Lemon realize how dumb that question was, luckily Neloth decided to butt in. “So you're the one that decided to fight Miraak? I thought you would be taller...and scarier” Kendra blinked, as if offended by the wizard's comment. Which was fair. Neloth had made a bunch of rude comments before, although they mostly found them funny.

An awkward silence followed, mostly because no one knew how to respond, “Well we got another black book that you’ll need in order to defeat Miraak” Serana stated. And even without looking Lemon could tell that Kendra inwardly groaned, she must have figured out who the books belong too.

"That's perfect-" Kendra started, "-but the dragon" Aela finished. Lemon would have phrased it differently, but that works too. The dragon was getting impatient and landed on the roof. Causing a loud thud, Kendra sighed "I'll be right back" before she went back outside.

Silence insured, although it wasn't silent in the slightest due to the sound of fighting outside, however it was awkward nevertheless. Serana walked over to Aela and hugged her, Serana must have whispered something that made Aela laugh. Lemon smiled lightly, Aela and Serana were always good company, no matter the location.

“Your friend there..tell me she isn't the one going to read the black book,” Neloth asked, although his voice was more cautious than pleading. The fighting got louder outside, the only clear sounds were metal hitting metal and shouts. “She is, but she's better at fighting than...everything else,” Serana said, Lemon blinked, “was that a complainant or an insult?” Aela said in a flat tone, to which Serana replied with a smile. 

The noise stopped outside, silence insured, Lemon assumed Kendra had won, due to the lack of any dragon-like victory noises. A voice broke the silence, it was low, way to low to be Kendra’s. Did Kendra win? Lemon got their answer when they heard a voice scream in frustration. Serana was first to walk out to see what had become of the battle, the rest of them followed.

The sight before them was odd, the dragon was nothing more but bone. But a very grumpy Kendra was staring at it with rage like it was still alive and it just killed Odahviing and Durnehviir. “Did he do it again?” Aela asked Kendra’s head snapped to Aela, her mouth twitched in anger before she got words out of her mouth. “He fucking did-” She started, before she walked back into the dwarven ruin. Lemon sent a confused look to Aela and Serana, Aela just sighed while Serana looked equally as confused.

“Miraak stole a dragon soul at Saering's watch, I’d assume he did it again,” Aela said casually like that was a normal thing that could just happen. “He can do that?” Serana and Lemon said at the same time, to which Aela just shrugged. Lemon turned to Neloth who was about to say something. Kendra stormed out of the ruin, black book in hand “I am going to punch Miraak in the throat” 

Lemon swore they could hear Neloth chuckle, “so what's your plan?” Serana asked. Lemon could tell that Kendra didn't have a plan, after years of traveling together they learned Kendra is more of an “act first think later” type of person, although she's been trying to get better at that. “I cleanse the rest of the stones...and then I read this book and I go from there.” She said finally, having calmed down some. “That's about as much of a plan that we can get” Lemon mumbled.

Lemon took out Kendra’s map, to which they got a confused look. Her and Aela must have already cleansed the Wind, Beast, and Sun Stones, as there were small x’s on them. All they had to do left is the Earth and Water Stone. It would be easier to do the Water Stone last, although if they did the Earth stone last they would be closer to Ravenrock. However, going to the Water Stone first would be a hassle. “Right, let's head to Ravenrock,” they said while nodding. 

\----Time Skip brought to you by Hoemaeus Dickmora----

“Ok, last one” Kendra shifted her sword, pointing it to the stone. “Well at least we know that a fucking monster will appear, this time” Lemon stated bitterly. Kendra recalled the moment of the Lurker, she learned they were called, scared Lemon when it appeared. If Kendra didn't have to fight it, she would have laughed.

Kendra shouted, soon after catching her breath, this time they didn't have Odahviing to instantly take out the monster. However having all four of them should have the same effect, just a bit slower. The ground shook, Serana and Kendra hid behind on rock, while Lemon and Aela hid behind one nearby. Once the rubble settled, and the lurker grew out of the inky water, everyone sprung into action. 

Serana sent ice to the lurker’s feet while using vampire drain in her other hand. Aela shot at the lurker's neck area, trying to keep it’s distraction away from Serana. Lemon went into action next quickly running up to the lurker and slashing its legs. The lurker, wanting to attack three people at once, screamed and went after Lemon. 

Kendra seized the opportunity and ran up to the lurker, she leaped and landed one foot on the monsters horrible flesh. She quickly dug her sword into it, due to her added weight, the lurker lost balance and started to slip on the ice. Not wanting to be crushed by the lurker, Kendra quickly hopped off. 

Her leaving the lurker did not help it’s balance issue, in fact, it made it worse. It landed face first, Kendra went to reach for her sword on her back, but it wasn't there. Panicked, she looked around, before realizing that she forgot to take the sword out of the lurker. The lurker tried to get up, but seeing as Kendra didn't have a weapon all she could do was shout, which wouldn't be the best idea after shouting so much today.

Lemon saw this predicament and rushed in, using their sword instead. They drove their sword into the lurker's neck. It let out a final roar in anger before it died. Relieved that it was over, Kendra walked over and pulled out her sword, it was covered in this icky blood, unlike any she has ever seen. It reminded her of the chaurus spit.

Sacred to touch it, due to the unknown effects it might have, Kendra carefully held the sword away from her and everyone else. She walked over to the water edge, before bathing the sword in the water. “If you told me, we would be fighting the first dragonborn, who allies himself with Hermaeous Mora, about a year ago? I wouldn't believe you” Lemon said while walking up to Kendra. She lightly smiled, “well luckily we don't have to tell past you. We get to tell current you, and you get to help.”, she said while lightly shoving Lemon with her shoulder. 

Kendra lifted the sword out of the water, it looked clean but she still does want to take any chances with touching it, at least not with her hands. Lemon lightly laughed, before speaking again “We should head to Ravenrock and get a room, it would be best to sleep before reading”. It was Kendra’s turn to laugh, Lemon knew already that Kendra didn't need to sleep, at least not as much as people normally do, but thinking about plans and stuff is a better idea than just rushing in without a plan. 

“Right so we are heading back?” Kendra heard Aela say, out of the corner of her eye she could see Lemon nodding. She could hear Serana groan in the background, probably tired from all the walking, and Kendra could relate. 

Kendra seethed her sword back onto her back, before turning around. Lemon practically skipped over to Aela and Serana, they shared a few quick words before starting the walk over to Ravenrock, Kendra quickly following. Even if this walk is short, she did not want it to take longer than necessary.


	7. Getting Lost in a Bad Book

Kendra rolled over, unable to get a wink of sleep, no matter how hard she tried. Why? Because she could almost hear the book whispering to her. It was really annoying, and tempting. But she had to wait, if she opened and went to that hell space now with everyone asleep, akatosh knows what could happen. So instead, the dragonborn decided that staring at the book was the best option.

“If i stare long enough, my eyes will get tired and then I’ll sleep,” She thought, it was logical, but still it was boring. Kendra knew that she would most likely meet Hermaeus Mora, and if she was going to face him she needed to be in the right mindset. Their last interaction did go well, Kendra having to threaten to burn Oghma Infinium to finally get the prince to leave her alone.

Kendra smiled at the memory, even though the prince didn't express panic, his voice just subtly got faster. If Kendra wasn't paying attention she wouldn't have noticed. But still, the daedric prince was a manipulator and a liar. The dragonborn's smile disappeared when she remembered Septimus Signus, a scholar that was driven to madness, even in his mad state, Kendra found the old man funny. Besides, no one can be madder than the mad prince itself, which the dragonborn found the most amusing, and could probably spend a day with and not get bored.

Kendra’s thoughts landed back to Miraak and sighed. The book seemed to move at the thought of the first. The last sat up and pulled out her journal. Kendra made sure to light a small candle, just so it’s light enough so she can read and white. She quickly flipped to her most recent page, she blinked, with the information she had now, everything makes so much more sense. Kendra scribbled a small drawing of Hermaeus Mora, in case she somehow forgot. Her eyes landed on the right page, the “Notable quotes”. 

The dragonborn looked up, and stared at the black book, she felt her heart drop when she realized that Hermaeus might have a bigger part to play in this narrative than anyone thought. Kendra pulled her pack closer, and searched through it, looking for the cultist’s note. The dragonborn’s hand touched paper, and she pulled out the note. “It never said it was from Miraak….” She mumbled. 

Kendra sighed and laid back, already tired from resisting opening the book but it seemed thinking about the prince made the pull worse. The dragonborn shot a glare at the book, it wasn't going to shut up until she opened it. “I mean it’s almost morning, Serana will probably be back soon,” she thought. Kendra looked over, Aela and Lemon were sleeping on the same bed, Aela almost constantly moving, unable to get a good night’s rest. 

The dragonborn sighed, more upset that she was giving in to temptation then worried about the horrors within the book. When she touched the book, it felt like a little jolt of energy. With a scowl on her face, the dragonborn opened the book. This time when the tentacles reached to pull her into the book, it felt almost welcome-y. 

* * *

Once Kendra felt solid ground under her feet, she hesitantly opened her eyes, and immediately regretted it. This time the dragonborn didn't have to worry about Miraak, so she could get a little more adjusted to the environment. “Apocrypha…”, Kendra mumbled while looking around, she remembered hearing about the daedric prince’s realm in passing.

There was paper flying above blue-white orbs that contrasted against the sickly green landscape. In front of her, there was a plant-like structure that looked out of place, almost as much as everything else. Kendra sighed, remembering those monsters that were near Miraak, with their tentacle faces and really painful magic. The dragonborn sighed at the thought of fighting anything. A sudden spike of panic made Kendra jump, did she really just walk into a different realm where everything wants to kill you, without armor, or a weapon?

In her exasperation she looked down, to a surprising sight. The daedric prince must have taken pity on her as she was in her full get-up, sword, daggers in all. Kendra huffed, madder about the fact the prince took pity than the fact she forgot to get ready. The dragonborn shoved the little bit of gratefulness out of her mind, sighing, she walked over to the out of place plant thing.

She took out one dragonbone dagger, not wanting to touch anything in this realm. As soon as the dagger touched it, the bit of light dropped, and the thing folded in on itself. A thought to be wall moved, and unfolded into a walkway, with the new view Kendra could see a moving hallway. “Oh shit” she mumbled, thanking the fact she hasn't eaten anything in a while, she made her way to the moving hallway, after giving large side eyes to the icky pools full of tentacles and eyeballs.

Kendra impatiently waiting until the hallway made it's way back to her, the sound was akin to someone moving a dresser over a wooden floor, absolutely terrible. She took a step inside and was given the full glory of trying to walk in a moving hallway. Holding the left side of the hallway, she carefully made her way to the end of the hallway, to which she was rewarded with being slapped by a tentacle. 

“I already fucking tired of this place” she mumbled, the dragonborn wondered how the other survived for over four thousand years here, and she probably hasn't scratched the surface of the horrors within Apocrypha. 

Kendra peeked out of the moving corridor, it was moving back the other way, there seemed to be another of those weird-wall things. Although she didn't get a good look at it before it was already out of sight. Still holding the wall, the hallway arrived at another platform, Kendra jumped, not wanting to accidentally fall into the green ink sea. On the platform, she noticed another plant-thing. “That should lower the bridge if this is like a typical dungeon….just needlessly more terrible” she thought.

The dragonborn saw something moving out of the corner of her eye, she jumped back, hand on the hilt. However it was just more of those tentacles trying to slap her, Kendra sighed, if this was a telling on how this entire trip is going to go, then whatever is at the end must be great or she will find a way to burn this realm to the ground. 

  
So it turns out, Kendra can’t do shit for magic. Surely she must have inherited some skill with magic from her father, but it turns out, she didn't. Sighing at her failed attempt to commit mass arson, the last picked up her greatsword and stepped over a body of a seeker, slightly cringing at how much their magic hurt. Kendra had a feeling that she was going to come into contact with it again.

  
Kendra had just read another book at the end of the first “stage” and was in a hallway. She walked down it and activated another plant thing. The entire hallway went flat and she was being attacked by the hideous monsters. She lightly kicked one of their bodies, flinching at the distinct squishing noises. The dragonborn looked over to the biggest body, a lurker. 

  
It took about 5 minor healing potions to stop the stinging, and she was suddenly grateful for having her friends while fighting the others, however, she was alone here, Kendra has never felt this alone, the only other person was Miraak and...Kendra wasn't exactly happy with that fact. The dragonborn wondered how the other could survive and not go insane after four thousandish years. It must have been lonely.

  
Kendra took a deep breath, she needed to try and keep a neutral mindset, Miraak might have done some shit in the past...and in the not so past-past. However, something was telling her that she is making a huge mistake, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. The snowball was already tumbling down a mountain and she could try and slow it down, but it was going to eventually crush her. 

  
Looking around, she noticed there was a gate, she walked up to it and gave it her best push, when that didn't work she pulled, however, she could feel it moving just not enough, it had to be locked somehow. Confused, Kendra looked around, the prince wouldn't purposely design a dead into their realm? Right?

  
Her eyes landed on another plant thing, almost letting out a sigh of relief. Almost running, she jogged over to it and touched it with the hilt of her sword. Kendra heard the sound of the gate opening it behind her.   
Kendra turned on her heel and walked over to it, luckily, no more enemies appeared. All that was in was another open book. She stared it down with a venomous gaze before looking at the contents of the book. The contents of the book where unreadable, yet readable at the same time. Maybe if she took a closer look she could read the damned thing. 

  
And as soon at the words actually became something recognizable, her vision grew blurry. Somehow, Kendra was unable to muster up an surprise. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all school has been kicking me in the ass, I'll try to keep chapters long and on schedule


	8. The Gardener of Mankind

“Well done, my champion. Your journey towards enlightenment has finally led you here, to my realm, as I knew it would.", Kendra felt her blood run old, she repressed a shiver as she looked up at the deadric god. She took a deep breath to try to sooth her beating heart. The prince stared back with his big golden eye, his goat-shaped pupil’s staring into her soul. Hermaeus Mora appeared in the same form as he did last time they met, a mass of tentacles and eyeballs that disappear and appear at random. It was...unsettling.  
“What do you want of me this time?” Kendra was able to muster, trying to not sound close to screaming or crying, or both. Probably both.   
"You have entered my realm. You have sought out the forbidden knowledge that only one other has obtained. You are Dragonborn, like Miraak before you. A seeker of knowledge and power." Mora drew out each word in his deep voice that shook Kendra to her core. The dragonborn’s gut was screaming at her that this was a huge fuck up.   
“You are dragonborn, You also seek to learn how to bend the world to your will” The mass of tentacles stately, like a fact. “I won't serve you, monster. I just want to defeat Miraak.” Kendra spoke with as much courage as she could get, which was not a lot.   
“You will serve me, willing, or not. All who seek after the secrets of the world are my servants." The last dragonborn’s leg measles tighten, ready to run at any moment. However, Kendra refused to look away from the prince’s single eye.  
“I know what you want: to use your power as dragonborn to bend the world to your world”, panic took over as she felt a tentacle crawl up her back as the prince continued to speak, “Here is the knowledge you need, although you did not know you need it”. Kendra felt the tentacle slither up the back of her head. She was able to suck in a breath before the second word of the shout burned into her mind.  
“The second word of power. Use it to bend the wills of mortals to your purpose” Mora began, Kendra guessed, sensing that this was not all the prince had to offer. “But this is not enough, Miraak knows the final Word of Power. Without that, you cannot hope to surpass him” Hermaues Mora paused as if taking a breath. Even though the panic, Kendra became annoyed and impatient as the prince’s talking speed.   
“Miraak served me well, and he was rewarded. I can grant you the same power that he wields, but all knowledge has its price.” Kendra was about to ask Mora the obvious question here, but she said something before without even realizing it. “Isn't Miraak your ally? Why help me defeat him?”  
Mora blinked, as eyes normally do, but this blink seemed more like a sort of sigh. "He has served me long and well. But he grows restless under my guidance. His desire to return to your world will spread my influence more widely. But it will also set him free from my direct control. It may be time to replace him with a more loyal servant. One who still appreciates the gifts I have to offer."   
That didn't sit right with Kendra in the slightest bit of the sense, biting her tongue she asked, hopefully, the last question she would have to. “And what is this price?” she was tentative. "Knowledge for knowledge. The Skaal have withheld their secrets from me for many long years. The time has come for this knowledge to be added to my library."   
This seemed like an unfair trade, but it did lean in Kendra’s favor, so it couldn't be that bad. “I will...talk to the Skaal and bring you their secrets” she agreed, trying to shove all the thoughts of "oh shit this isn't good" out of her mind, even if they are true.

“I know you will. And then I will give you the knowledge you seek” The mass of tentacles blinked, “send the Skaal shaman to me. He holds the secret that will be mine” he repeated. And with that Hermaeus Mora disappeared, and Kendra realized a breath she didn't know she was holding. Although the prince was gone from the dragonborn’s immediate sight, she swore she could still feel his watchful gaze on her, it made her feel trapped like she was nothing but a pet.   
Kendra went to go read the book to escape this hellhole when three orbs appeared above it. And it appeared that she couldn't escape just yet until she did something with them? How typical of the prince. She looked at the left light green orb, inexplicably she knew exactly what the orb would do if she were to “activate” it. The left one would make her Unrelenting force shout more powerful, to where it could almost disintegrate enemies. The middle one would summon a fire wyrm to fight for her after an enemy was killed, Kendra has had to fight those in the past and they are a pain in the arse. And the right one would trap her enemies in ice.  
Kendra thought for a moment, the right one was out of the picture, she hardly used any ice-related shouts, and Ice Form could already do that job easier. However she was stuck between the remaining two, they could be proven useful in different situations. Going with her gut she decided to choose the left one, Kendra had a gut feeling like that was going to be useful later on.   
Just thinking that seemed to have an effect, the three orbs disappeared and the words on the book started to move again, which was odd as Kendra didn't even realize they stopped. Leaning forward, the dragonborn started to focus on the jumbled words on the page, and like before, just before they started to make sense her vision darkened.   
-

* * *

  
Kendra sucked in a large breath and immediately started coughing. Glad to be out of the damp air in Apocrypha, but would rather be in the nice crisp air of Skyrim and not the ashy wasteland known as Solstheim. Pushing the book as far away from her as possible, she closed her eyes and just momentarily enjoyed not being in a place of horror and books anymore. “It seems like you had a fun time”   
The dragonborn almost jumped out of their skin. She turned to look at Lemon who was reading a book called “The Guardian and the Traitor” from what she could see. Quickly recovering she fired back, “I’ve had worse” which was true, but that had to take its place in the top five at least. Lemon hummed and put down their book, “So what’s our next move?” Kendra was put on edge, they seemed more serious than normal this morning. The dragonborn made eye contact, which after meeting with Mora, seemed way more warm and welcoming than the prince's cold stare into her soul.   
Kendra raised her eyebrows and slightly tilted her head forward, after spending more than a year together, her and Lemon developed a sort of communication between the two of them. Lemon sighed, “I just...I am unsure about...everything” they admitted. Kendra felt a pang of empathy, she herself had not been entirely truthful and had kept out information that could make Lemon’s anxiety better or worse, but with how it was looking right now, it would definitely be worse.   
“I admit, the future does seem...not the brightest, but we will find a way through it, as we always find a way to”, a small smile appeared on Lemon’s face. And Kendra, being Kendra had to find a way to make this sappy moment less...sappy.   
“And hey, if I do end up dying at least you have a fun tale to tell dad when you go back to Hammerfell” The dragonborn stated, and the look on Lemon’s face is something she will treasure for years. “You-” Lemon started, with both fury and humor that only they could accomplish, their fury was justified though, before settling down in Skyrim, they had promised not to talk about their shared heritage, but Kendra couldn't help poking the bear sometimes.  
But before Lemon could finish unleashing their fury the room door slammed open with a loud thud, which scared the shit out of the both of them. “Get over here bitches we got some books to read” Serana’s voice rang across the once almost silent room, she added to dropping a pile of about 20 books onto the foot of the bed.   
Kendra stared at the books for a moment, “and all of these are about Miraak?” she assumed. Knowing your enemy is better than going in blind, as Serana would often say.  
Serana shifted, revealing a tired-looking Aela behind her, Aela didn't look physically tired but more mentally. It seemed this trip was taking a toll on everyone. “None of these are on Miraak actually, most of them are about Mora and his realm” she scoffed.   
“Right, so…” the dragonborn began, “I have to go shake some ancient secrets out of an old man, uh have fun with reading and all” Kendra made quick paste getting ready and putting on her good armor just in case.   
-  
Kendra didn't wait for a reply, she rushed out of the door and into the busy Inn. She ducked under a dunmer server carrying a tray of food and drinks, they gave her a dirty look, however. The dragonborn gave them a small awkward wave before rushing out of the Inn.  
When she opened the door, she was met with a gust of ashy air. Kendra suddenly wished for a mask of sorts, besides Konahrik but that mask was both unnerving to her to wear and for others to see. Kendra pulled out her map. The general area was quite the ways away but only a few hours walk if she made haste and didn't get into any fights.  
\--  
The snow crunched under her footsteps, somehow Kendra managed to forget how cold cold can get. She approached the Skaal village; it still looked quiet, if she could run away to a small village this would be in the top five. When she got into earshot, she heard two skaal arguing about something, however, Kendra didn’t bother to eavesdrop.   
Kendra continued to walk towards Storn’s hut, he was outside, however. “I spoke with Mora, he asked for “the secrets of the skaal” in exchange for the final word of power to defeat Miraak,” she told him while filling him in on the situation. However, she still felt like she was missing a critical detail, but that couldn't be she did say the situation as she understood it?  
"Hermaeus Mora... old Herma-Mora himself. So he is the source of Miraak's power. Of course. We have many tales of Herma-Mora trying to trick us into giving up our secrets to him. And now he comes again for what we have long kept from him." Storn said, but what secrets could the skaal have that has any interest to a deadric god?  
“He said it's the only way he'll teach me the final Word of Miraak's Shout,” she stated, slightly annoyed at the absence of any answers. Kendra’s annoyance wasn't directed at Storn however, just annoyed in general.   
"So it falls to me to be the one to give up the secrets to our ancient enemy. I do not know if I have the strength to face him. The Tree Stone is still corrupted... the land is still out of balance. But with the other five restored... it may be enough. It will have to be.” The dragonborn felt a pang of petty for the man, no person should have that much responsibility on them.   
“You mean you'll give him what he wants?” Kendra was surprised, she expected more resistance, which only made her feel worse.   
"Yes. The Skaal also tell of the day when we must finally give up our secrets. When Herma-Mora finally wins. As a shaman, it is my duty to guard these secrets, but also to decide when it is necessary to give them up. I believe that time is now. If I am wrong, may my ancestors forgive me. Give me the book. I will read it and speak to old Herma-Mora himself. I will make sure he lives up to his part of the bargain." Without much thought, Kendra handed over the book, like she was on autopilot.   
Storn stood up with the book and hand, Kendra, still too shocked to speak. "Father, you must not do this. That book is... wrong. Evil. Against everything that you have taught me my whole life." Frea pleaded, and the dragonborn slightly jumped not realizing that she was there. Even in this distressed state, Kendra had to admit she loved her voice.   
"I must, Frea. It is the only way to free Solstheim forever from Miraak's shadow. There comes a time when everything must change. Nothing that lives remains the same forever. Do not fear for me, my daughter. This is the destiny that the All-Maker has laid out for me." Storn answered they both seemed sad? But why it wasn't like they were going to die, right?  
  



End file.
